Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe report by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Business Confidence Monitor Q2 2019, published in May, whichsuggests a decline in confidence of UK businesses due to ongoing Brexit uncertainty.

lord henley: The latest ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) shows that business confidence has not fallen significantly this quarter. According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK economy picked up in the first three months of the year - Growth was 0.5% in the quarter, up from 0.2% in the previous three months. The employment rate (16-64) remained at 76.1%– at a record high. Employment increased by 99,000 on the quarter, standing at 32.7m – remaining broadly unchanged on the last labour market statistics release.

Fracking

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 10 April (HL15067), in the event that any and all “other appropriate parties”, including other licensees or landowners, failed to decommission and return a fracking site to its former state, who would ultimately bear the financial burden.

lord henley: There is no precedent for the scenario above arising, in respect of hydraulically fractured wells in the UK. The Government has been clear that the responsibility for decommissioning lies with the licensee and has sought to reinforce this principle. For example, as set out in the Written Answer of 10 April (HL15067) that as part of the associated application for Hydraulic Fracturing Consent, the Government looks at the financial resilience of all companies wishing to carry out hydraulic fracturing operations, including their ability to fund decommissioning costs. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will not issue Hydraulic Fracturing Consent unless he is satisfied this has been appropriately demonstrated. To date, there have only been two hydraulically fractured shale gas wells in the UK. The first, at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in Lancashire, has been fully decommissioned and the land restored to its previous use. The second, Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road well-1z, is still operational.

Fracking

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 10 April (HL15067),what assessment they have made of the potential liabilities for local authorities in the event that an operator and “other appropriate parties” do not decommission and return a fracking site to its former state.

lord henley: There is no precedent for hydraulically fractured shale gas well decommissioning costs being borne by local authorities. The Government has been clear that the responsibility for decommissioning lies with the licensee and has sought to reinforce this principle. For example, as set out in the Written Answer of 10 April (HL15067) that as part of the associated application for Hydraulic Fracturing Consent, the Government looks at the financial resilience of all companies wishing to carry out hydraulic fracturing operations, including their ability to fund decommissioning costs. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will not issue Hydraulic Fracturing Consent unless he is satisfied this has been appropriately demonstrated. In addition, Mineral Planning Authorities may require that bonds or other financial guarantees are taken to underpin a planning condition. To date, there have only been two hydraulically fractured shale gas wells in the UK. The first, at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in Lancashire, has been fully decommissioned and the land restored to its previous use. The second, Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road well-1z, is still operational.

Furniture: Fire Prevention

the countess of mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety of the use of decabromodiphenyl ethane in UK furniture; and what advice, if any, they have received from (1) the European Chemicals Agency, (2) the Health and Safety Executive, and (3) the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment on the risks of using decabromodiphenyl ethane.

lord henley: The Government is currently reviewing the operation of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 and is taking account of evidence and advice from external sources such as academic papers as well as the views of experts from across government, including Chief Scientific Advisors. All furniture must also comply with the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 and be safe before it can be placed on the market. DecaBDE is a persistent organic pollutant. The UK ceased production of this substance in 1996 and its use has declined sharply since then. Many other countries have also phased out its use. It was banned under the UN Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants in December 2018 and under the European chemical regulation regime, REACH, in March 2019. It will not be present in household soft furnishings and mattresses purchased after this ban comes into effect. Chemicals, including brominated flame retardants used in UK furniture, are regulated under Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). REACH aims to provide a high level of protection for health and the environment from the use of chemicals including those used in products. In order to comply with REACH, companies must identify and manage the risks linked to the substances they manufacture and market in the EU. They have to demonstrate how the substances can be safely used, and they must communicate the risk management measures to the users. If the risks cannot be managed, authorities can ban or restrict the use of substances.

Takeovers: Conflict of Interests

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to undertake a review of the management of conflicts of interest arising when, in a contested takeover situation, institutional investors hold shares for clients, or under their own account, in both the bidder and target companies.

lord henley: It is not uncommon for some investors to hold shares in both the bidder and target companies and rules mandated by the Financial Conduct Authority provide transparency to the market about share ownership. Takeover decisions are ultimately a matter for shareholders and the UK’s takeover rules require bidders to secure the approval of a majority of shareholders in the target company.

Business: Billing

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to theWritten Answer by Lord Henley on 10 May (HL15375), what action, if any, they plan to take to penalise those companies who do not comply with the Prompt Payment Code; and whether this will include removing those companies from all Government tenders untilsuch companies have demonstrated compliance.

lord henley: The Prompt Payment Code is a voluntary Code administered by the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM) on behalf of Government. Signatories to the Code sign up to pay 95% of invoices in 60 days, with an ambition to move toward 30-day payment terms. Signatories who do meet the standard are invited to submit a plan to CICM setting out clearly how they will improve their performance. Those who submit a satisfactory plan and subsequently demonstrate compliance are suspended from the Code and can be reinstated in the future. Those who do not engage with CICM, and fail to submit a plan, will be removed.Starting in September this year, suppliers could be excluded from winning Government contracts if they fail to pay subcontractors on time. Under the new rules, suppliers who bid for government contracts above £5m per annum, who cannot show they are paying 95% of invoices within 60 days, risk being prevented from securing government contracts. We have contacted all suppliers reminding them of this initiative and their responsibilities on prompt payment.

Social Science: Research

lord mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they provided to universities in England for social science research in each of the last five years.

lord henley: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy funds research primarily through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Within UKRI the main funders of social science research are the Economics and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and Research England. The following table shows the value of research grants from AHRC and ESRC related to social science awarded to universities in England in each of the last five years. It also shows the notional allocation of Quality-related Research (QR) funding from Research England to the social sciences in universities in England over the past five years. QR funding is unhypothecated and individual institutions decide how it should be spent on research activities according to their own priorities.YearValue of awarded grants (by Financial Year) £ QR allocation (by academic year) £2014/2015153,738,462270,300,0002015/2016106,861,835276,500,0002016/2017181,616,983279,000,0002017/2018199,971,534281,200,0002018/2019247,678,306291,300,000 While these are the primary funders of social science research, other research councils within UKRI provide funding for projects that involve a significant contribution from the social sciences. UKRI encourages interdisciplinary research, including the integration of social science components into other research programmes, when this adds value to the proposals.

Research: Finance

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help increase investment in UK research and development.

lord henley: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Universities and Science to the hon. Member for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow on 27 March 2019 to Question 230812.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Daphne Caruana Galizia

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Maltese Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government about the progress of the investigation into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Home Secretary raised the issue with his counterpart last November and it was raised again by our High Commissioner with both the Home Affairs and Justice Ministers in March this year. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary discussed the case with the Maltese Foreign Minister on 13 May.

Daphne Caruana Galizia

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Maltese Governor’s commitment to (1) bring the murderers of Daphne Caruana Galizia to justice, and (2) uphold its obligations to guarantee and safeguard freedom of expression in Malta as required by the European Convention on Human Rights.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Maltese Government has provided reassurances both in public and private that all efforts are being made to ensure justice will be served in this case. Three suspects have been arrested and will stand trial. The police investigation, supported by Europol, continues to pursue lines of enquiry to identify those behind the murder. On freedom of expression, last year’s Media and Defamation Act, aims to strengthen legal protections for journalists in Malta. The Maltese Government has also expressed early interest in joining the Foreign Secretary’s Media Freedom Conference in July, as a further demonstration of Malta’s resolve to work with international partners to increase the protection of journalists and of freedom of expression.

Daphne Caruana Galizia

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theyhave raised the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia at the (1) EU Foreign Affairs Council, and (2) Commonwealth Secretariat; and if so, what the outcomes of those discussions were.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​As there are ongoing police and judicial processes taking place in Malta, the UK Government has not therefore raised the case at the EU Foreign Affairs Council or with the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Cyprus: Peace Negotiations

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Report of the Secretary-General on his mission of good offices in Cyprus, submitted to the UN Security Council on 16 April; and what assessment they have made of the preparedness of the Greek Cypriot political community to agree a solution on the basis of political equality with the Turkish Cypriot community within the framework of UN parameters following the rejection of the Annan Plan by the Greek Cypriot electorate and the failure of the Crans-Montana talks.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK is grateful for the ongoing work of the Secretary General and his good offices on the island, as we are to Ms Jane Holl Lute for her ongoing consultations with the parties. We endorse the Secretary-General's view that prospects for a settlement remain alive, as reaffirmed in his April report. We echo his calls for the leaders to engage constructively, creatively and with the necessary sense of urgency. We also welcome the UN Security Council's recent call for the two sides to agree terms of reference as a basis for meaningful result-orientated negotiations.

Serbia: Refugees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will discuss with the government of Serbia ways and means of addressing the needs of refugees and migrants on their territory; and in particular, to identify those who may have close family members living legitimately in the UK.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We regularly discuss issues relating to refugees and migrants with the Serbian authorities, including with the Minister of Interior, Nebojsa Stefanovic. Minister Stefanovic visited London on 29 April 2019 and discussed a number of issues including migration during his meeting with Home Office Minister Ben Wallace.In recent years Her Majesty's Government, through the UK’s Migration Returns Fund, has provided support to strengthen migration and asylum management systems in Serbia, building institutional, administrative and judicial capacity. This included the use of UK expertise to help the Serbian authorities more effectively manage the arrival of asylum-seekers in line with international standards.

Bahrain: Capital Punishment

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Bahrain about the imminent execution of Ali al-Arab and Ahmed al-Malali; and about the legal processes which led to their sentences.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are closely following the cases of Mr Almalali and Mr Alarab and have raised the cases with the Bahraini Government. The UK's position on the use of the death penalty is longstanding and clear; we oppose its use in all circumstances and countries. The Government of Bahrain are fully aware of our position. The British Government consistently and unreservedly condemns torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and it is a priority for us to combat it wherever and whenever it occurs. We urge allegations of this nature to be reported to the appropriate national human rights oversight bodies and continue to encourage these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such concerns or allegations.

Bahrain: Capital Punishment

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of concerns expressed by the UN and other international actors that Ali Al-Arab and Ahmed Al-Malali were convicted and sentenced to death in Bahrain based on confessions they gave under torture; and (1) what representations they have made to the King of Bahrain, and (2) what other steps they are taking, to prevent their execution.

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the failure of oversight bodies in Bahrain to investigate allegations of the torture and coerced confessions of Ali Al-Arab and Ahmed Al-Malali.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are closely following the cases of Mr Almalali and Mr Alarab and have raised the cases with the Bahraini Government. The UK's position on the use of the death penalty is longstanding and clear; we oppose its use in all circumstances and countries. The Government of Bahrain are fully aware of our position. The British Government consistently and unreservedly condemns torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and it is a priority for us to combat it wherever and whenever it occurs. We urge allegations of this nature to be reported to the appropriate national human rights oversight bodies and continue to encourage these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such concerns or allegations.​

Department for International Development

Kenya: Abortion

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bates on 18 September (HL10124) which stated that "we have no breakdown of funding for any abortion provision, or estimate of the number of procedures because this is a new programme, and the procurement of the implementing partner is underway", now that the implementing partner has been procured,how much of the £36 million of funding for family planning in Kenya will be spent on abortion provision and related activities; and how many abortion procedures will be funded by the project.

baroness sugg: The ‘Delivering Sustainable and Equitable Increases in Family Planning in Kenya’ programme will take an integrated approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights in order to meet a wide range of women’s reproductive health needs. Because these services are to be integrated, it is not possible to disaggregate figures solely relating to safe abortion procedures. Over the life of the programme, it is expected to reach 322,000 additional users and it will provide 2.3 million Couple Years of Protection (CYP) and avert 2,221 maternal deaths.The aim of DFID’s work on sexual and reproductive health and rights is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions, increase the use of voluntary family planning, and give women control over their own bodies and lives.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review their decision to dismiss Sir Roger Scruton from his post as Chair of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission, in the light of reports that his opinions have been misrepresented.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission is an independent body that will advise Government on how to promote and increase the use of high-quality design for new-build homes and neighbourhoods. In the light of the recent decision to discontinue the role of Sir Roger Scruton as Chair of the Commission, the Secretary of State will be selecting and announcing a new Chair in due course. In the meantime, the work of the Commission will continue with Nicholas Boys Smith as interim Chair, with the aim of producing an interim report to the Secretary of State in July and final report in December.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Land

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps are being taken, if any, to make surplus Ministry of Defence land available to local authorities for the provision of affordable and social housing.

earl howe: The Government ensures that local authorities have the opportunity to express an interest in surplus Ministry of Defence land. In accordance with Her Majesty’s Treasury guidelines, once a site is declared surplus to Defence purposes it is placed on the cross-Government database managed by the Office of Government Property within the Cabinet Office. This database provides an opportunity for other public bodies including local authorities to express an interest in acquiring sites before they are placed on the open market. Sites stay on the data base for 40 working days. Treasury guidelines state that transactions such as sales between Departments should generally be at full market value even if transferred to other public sector bodies (including publicly sponsored housing associations).

Navy: Recruitment

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to increase staff recruitment in the UK Royal Navy; and if so, what steps they are taking to increase skills and training of such staff.

earl howe: Plans are already in place to increase recruitment as part of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Personnel Recovery and Growth Programme.All training delivered to Naval Service personnel, from recruitment and throughout their career, is regularly reviewed to maximise talent and ensure that people have the appropriate skills to allow the Navy to continue to meet their operational commitments.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water Companies: Insolvency

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent retailers in the water market who sell toSME customers from failing.

lord gardiner of kimble: When considering applications from potential retailers, Ofwat, the economic regulator for the water industry, considers whether it would have sufficient financial resources to finance its obligations under the law and to deliver its business plan. Once the retailer enters the market, it is for the retailer to ensure it operates efficiently and is able to continue to operate. In any functioning market some retailers will fail. If a retailer were to fail, as has been seen in other sectors, Ofwat would step in and ensure affected customers are allocated to a new supplier in a seamless way.

Water Companies: Competition

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made by (1) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and (2) Ofwat of the (a) Scottish SME non-household retail water market, and (b) the English SME non-household retail water market.

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the Scottish non-household retail water market in encouraging switching by SMEs when compared with the English non-household retail water market.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (a) undertook some analysis of the Scottish SME non-household retail water market during the initial planning stages of opening up the English market; and (b) works closely with Ofwat as they review the English non-household retail market and its operation since opening, including with regard to SMEs. Ofwat monitors and assesses the non-household retail water market in England on an ongoing basis. It commissioned customer research to gauge directly customers’ experiences of the market, including views on the interactions between the markets in England, Scotland and Wales. This information was published in July 2018 as the Ofwat customer insight survey. Ofwat’s first annual assessment of the market, Open for Business, also published in July 2018, highlighted a number of areas in which to achieve better outcomes for business customers in England, including SMEs.

Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials

the countess of mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they taking to comply with the Stockholm Agreement and other agreements on the control of hazardous chemicals for any UK upholstered furniture containing a number of persistent organic pollutants with no available information or register of their chemical composition, in particular, flame retardants.

lord gardiner of kimble: The UK has some of the most rigorous chemical regulations in the world. The Government implements the Stockholm Convention through EU Regulation (EC) No 850/2004 on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Chemicals in use also have to go through assessments under the REACH Regulation (No 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). All furniture placed on the market in the UK must comply with these regulations. We are committed to improving traceability of chemicals in products and waste and are working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on this. Specifically, the Government is reviewing the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 and has consulted on whether to introduce a specific requirement for furniture labels to stipulate any flame retardants used in their manufacture. The Government’s response to the consultation will be published in due course.

Biodiversity

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to remain closely aligned with the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy after Brexit; and if not, whatplans they have to implement a long-term post-Brexit strategy on biodiversity.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government is committed to ensuring that, when the UK leaves the EU, our existing environmental protections are maintained and, where possible, enhanced. The European Union (Withdrawal) Act ensures that the whole body of existing EU environmental law, including the Habitats and the Wild Birds Directives, continues to have effect in UK law following our departure from the EU. The EU Biodiversity Strategy implements commitments to halt biodiversity loss agreed in 2010 by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Biodiversity policy is devolved in the UK. In England, those same international commitments to halt biodiversity loss are implemented through the Biodiversity 2020 Strategy and related documents such as the National Pollinator Strategy. In the 25 Year Environment Plan, we committed to developing a new strategy for nature to replace Biodiversity 2020. Our intention is to publish this strategy in early 2021 to take forward the new international commitments for biodiversity, in particular the new global biodiversity framework, to be agreed under the Convention on Biological Diversity, in 2020. It will also set out in more detail how we intend to take forward the ambitions for nature in the 25 Year Environment Plan. Under the new strategy, the Government will continue to work towards, among other things, clean, safe, healthy, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas; and on land, restoring 75% of our protected sites to favourable condition by 2042 and establishing a Nature Recovery Network. The Nature Recovery Network will expand and connect wildlife rich habitat by developing landscape scale partnerships to manage land in a way that supports the recovery of our much loved wildlife.

Foxes

lord hanningfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 8 April (HL15102), what assessmentthey have made of the environmental impactof the disposal of the estimated 400,000 foxes killed each year in Britain, in particular to water courses.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Environment Agency has not been made aware of any largescale or widespread practice of dead foxes being disposed of in watercourses.

Nappies

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of (1) reusable, and (2) disposable, nappies on the (a) environment, and (b) collection and disposal of refuse; and what incentives they are encouraging for the use of reusable nappies.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government recognises the need to address the issues associated with the environmental impact of nappies. In line with the Resources and Waste Strategy published in December last year, we are considering the best approach for a range of products. There are a number of policy measures available to us, including standards and consumer information, and we believe the right approach for each product requires careful consideration taking account of various factors, for example, waste benefits versus energy usage. We are therefore carrying out some new research into the impacts of reusable and disposable nappies. This will help us decide on the best course of action for the future and in terms of Government support.

Electric Vehicles: Batteries

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of electric vehicle batteries in the UK that will need to be recycled in (1) 2020, (2) 2030, (3) 2040, and (4) 2050; and what assessment they have made of the UK's capacity to meet this demand for battery recycling given that thereareno lithium-ion recycling facilities in the UK.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government has not made an estimate of the number of electric vehicle batteries in the UK that will need to be recycled in the future. However, the Government’s Road to Zero Strategy, published last year, set out the ambition that by 2030 50%-70% of new cars sold and up to 40% of new vans sold are ultra low emission and that by 2040 those percentages rise to 100%. Presently, cars and vans have an average lifespan of around 14 years before they become end-of-life vehicles, and figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that in 2018 there were new car registrations of 2,367,147 units and for light commercial vehicles 357,325 units. Of these, 141,234 units were for plug-in and hybrid vehicles. Second life applications are being explored for batteries which are no longer able to perform as required in electric vehicles. An example is in energy storage solutions, which will delay the point at which the battery has to be recycled. Electric car batteries are classified as industrial batteries and covered under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009. This bans the disposal to landfill of such batteries and their incineration. It also establishes take-back and recycling obligations for industrial battery producers. The UK’s £246 million Faraday Battery Challenge is playing a leading role in promoting the reuse and recycling of battery components. One of the eight technical challenges set is to be able to recycle 95% of an electric vehicle battery pack by 2035. A number of live projects are exploring this area including a £10 million Faraday Institution research project. This is developing the technological, economic and policy framework that would allow high percentages of the materials in lithium-ion batteries at the end of their first life to be reused or recycled. In addition, several collaborative research and development projects are looking at reusing, remanufacturing or recycling end-of-life, automotive lithium-ion batteries.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Monuments: Construction

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in deciding where to build public monuments,they consider their visual, aesthetic and environmental impact.

lord ashton of hyde: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the guidelines by which planning decisions should be made. There is no separate national policy specifically relating to public monuments.